Late News

Published on August 01, 2005.

[Dublin, Ohio] Facing intense pressure from investors to restructure its restaurant portfolio, Wendy's International said it would offer 15% to 18% of its Tim Hortons doughnut chain in a public offering. The company also plans to restructure some of Wendy's operations, repurchase $1 billion of shares and repay $100 million in debt in a move similar to what McDonald's did in 2003. Management rationalized the move citing the maturing of its flagship chain and a potential conflict between the two brands at breakfast.

Lachlan Murdoch steps down from News Corp.

[New York] Lachlan Murdoch, the 33-year-old son of News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch, is quitting the company to return to Australia with his wife and child, according to a surprise announcement July 29. While Lachlan Murdoch will remain a director and advisor, he will relinquish roles which include publisher of the New York Post and chairman of the company's TV station group.

[Cincinnati] Procter & Gamble Co. added Publicis Groupe's Team One, El Segundo, Calif., to its roster to handle Millstone Coffee, the company announced, in the second move aimed at bringing new creative shops on board the roster in as many months. Team One sibling Saatchi & Saatchi, New York, had handled creative duties on the brand in the past, but the brand had been without a roster shop since 2003. Aegis' Carat continues to handle communications media planning and Publicis' StarcomMediaVest Group, New York, handles media buying.

Five marketers sign on to new TiVo ad program

[New York] TiVo has signed five major marketers for a new program that ensures their brand messages are seen by viewers even if they fast-forward through commercials and creates an opportunity for direct-response marketing, reports TelevisionWeek. The advertisers are Ameriquest, Nautilus, Novartis,Tylenol and E-Trade Financial. Beginning immediately, when commercials for those advertisers appear, some TiVo consumers will see a branded tag on their screen that alerts them that more information about that brand is available by pushing a button on their remote.

Sears Holdings mulls consolidating Sears biz

[Hoffman Estates, Ill.] Sears Holdings Corp. is weighing whether to consolidate its Sears stores account with one of its two WPP agencies, Y&R and Ogilvy & Mather, both Chicago, according to executives familiar with the situation. A third option: splitting the work by function. For instance, one agency could handle broadcast and the other CRM. A decision could come as early as this week. A Sears spokesman declined to comment. Ogilvy referred calls to Sears. Y&R declined to comment.

Univision inks multiyear search deal with Google

[New York] Univision Online, a division of Spanish-language media company Univision, has entered a multiyear pact with Google for the search engine to provide Univision.com's search results and to distribute ads. Under the agreement, Google provides content and ad results in the user's choice of Spanish or English. Google also delivers results within Univision.com. The ad deal is a revenue-sharing agreement between Google and Univision Online, the most-trafficked Spanish-language site. Univision Online had been using Yahoo Search Marketing to provide search results on the site. See AdAge.com QwikFIND aaq79k

Maytag launches review for Hoover division

[Newton, Iowa] Maytag's Hoover vacuum division has begun an "informal review" of its advertising creative, a spokeswoman for the company said. She declined to confirm agencies contacted or timing of the review. Among the shops contacted were incumbent Omnicom's Element 79, Chicago; Fallon, Minneapolis; DCA, New York; and Omnicom's TBWA/Chiat/Day, Playa del Rey, Calif. Agencies either declined comment or did not return calls. Hoover spent $56 million last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence. Maytag, meanwhile, is in the midst of deciding whether to go with a $1.3 billion takeover offer from private equity firm Ripplewood Holdings or a $1.43 billion offer from Whirlpool.

CBS to integrate wireless from multiple carriers

[Los Angeles] CBS begins a major push to integrate wireless into its fall programming by allowing viewers' text messages to influence the course of the program on "Big Brother 6." The innovation, to be announced Aug. 4, goes beyond the text message voting on "American Idol" which is limited to one carrier, Cingular. Instead, "Big Brother 6" will count votes from any subscriber to any of the six major carriers, Cingular, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel and T-Mobile.

Liberty Mutual, Boston, Mass., is reviewing its $45 million account. Incumbent MDC Partners' Kirshenbaum Bond & Partners is defending. ... President George W. Bush on July 28 nominated William E. Kovacic, a Washington lawyer and college professor, to be a Republican member of the Federal Trade Commission, where he recently served as the agency's legal counsel.